Opinion A driver-less car is stopped by the police. A metaphor for Big Tech is born
Apart from being the subject of a viral video, the offending car is an apt metaphor for the crimes and lack of punishment for the Silicon Valley tech giants behind such innovations.
Earlier this month, the San Francisco police stopped a self-driving car, and a video of the incident recorded by a bystander went viral 
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It could have been an April Fool’s joke or, perhaps, even a scene from a B-grade horror flick. In a dimly-lit street on a dark night, the police stop a car for driving without its headlights on. The car has no driver, no intention behind the wheel. Is it a ghost, a joke or part of an elaborate heist, a la Ocean’s 11? In the age of Silicon Valley miracles, it could be all of the above — or none of them.
Earlier this month, the San Francisco police stopped a self-driving car, and a video of the incident recorded by a bystander went viral. The technology, of course, has been around for some years now – though not in widespread use by consumers. The offending vehicle (or is the AI that guides it, liable) is seen to be driving away from the cops.
But even if it hadn’t, can it be held responsible? After all, just as tigers cannot commit murder and kangaroos have never been convicted of burglary, it is unlikely that a car without a driver can be charged with a traffic violation. Guilt, innocence and liability require a moral, sentient agent as their subject.
Apart from being the subject of a viral video, the offending car is an apt metaphor for the crimes and lack of punishment for the Silicon Valley tech giants behind such innovations. The conscience and culpability of companies are exported to the all-powerful algorithm – somehow, though, the profits seem to accrue only to the billionaires, who have set their sights, and wealth, on privatising the heavens. Misinformation, effects on mental health, even political coups of sorts have been laid at the door of AI. Yet, for law enforcement — local, national and international — big tech is still just a driver-less car with no one to challan. A ghost, a joke and a marvel of technology.
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